The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Why does the author, Dan Gemeinhart, use symbolic Spanish names, Salvador (Savior), Concepción (New Life) and Esperanza (Hope) for the Latino characters in this story? What is he trying to tell his readers about these characters? Are the names of the two central characters, Coyote and Rodeo, intended to be symbolic in some way? What about their last name, Sunrise? Is there any symbolic importance to the names of Val, Lester, or Ivan?

Coyote makes a slow but distinct transition from putting her father’s needs first to putting her own needs first. As she succeeds in insisting on things transpiring the way she needs them to, things begin to go better for virtually every character on the bus. Is it realistic to think that being selfish and insisting on getting things your own way can make life better for others as well?

On several occasions during her journey, Coyote remarks that those on the bus have become something of a family. Is this not ironic, since everyone on the bus—including the cat and the goat—has come from a conflicted family? What qualities are necessary for a group of people to become a family? Is it possible for a group of friends or, in this case, fellow travelers, to become a found family?

As they progress on their journey, the characters on the bus become empowered in ways that are personally important. Is this a result of becoming part of a family? Why is the Yager bus family so empowering of one another?

Why is Coyote so adamant that she be the one to dig up the memory box? Did she not trust her grandmother to find it?

Continually riding with Coyote around the country on the bus Yager was Rodeo’s way of avoiding dealing with the grief of losing his three members of his family. However, once Rodeo spoke the names of his deceased wife and children and looked inside the memory box, the brokenness within him began to heal. If this is true, why does he fix up the bus and get ready to start their trek again?

Coyote expresses many proverbial truths in the form of insights she has come to understand about friendship, hardship, grief, and love. One saying that apparently means the most to her was written by Rose and contained in the memory box. Her little sister shared that she loves Coyote (Ella) because Ella loves her no matter what. How does Coyote reveal that she has the gift of loving people no matter what?

While they work well together on the bus, each of the passengers given a ride by Rodeo and Coyote has very different backgrounds, problems, and personal stories. What is one other thing they share?